


My Trusted Friends

by Midnight_Dreams



Category: Teen Titans - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2019-10-09 06:14:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17401562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midnight_Dreams/pseuds/Midnight_Dreams
Summary: Something big is coming, and Dick can't figure out what. How will he protect his team and their students if every lead they chase brings them nowhere?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fanfic I've written in a long time, let alone posted. Its not beta'd, so any mistakes are my own. So, while critiques are welcomed, go easy Xp

The gentle brush of fingers through his hair was distracting. The pain buzzing through his body was constant and all encompassing, but the soft cooing and touch of his captor was a horrible comfort. He groaned, trying to move, trying to think straight, trying to do anything that might help in this situation, but the quiet “sshh” started again, and his mind fuzzed over with calm and happy memories. His body stilled, the fingers continued, the urge to give in swarmed over him. 

Dick Grayson, adopted son of Bruce Wayne, former Robin, and current Nightwing, was trapped. And for possibly the first time in his distinguished career, he had no idea how to get him, or his team, out of this. 

*****

The doors to the tower swished open, and the exhausted titans trudged their way into the brightening house. The entire week had been hell, and each member was ready for a long and welcomed rest. 

First, Dr. Light had tried to take over the new solar panel project the city had set up, draining the energy from them which created black outs and in the confusion robbing a few banks. He hadn’t been too hard to deal with, seeing as he was still entirely terrified by Raven, but tracking down all the stolen money and valuables had taken quite a bit of sleuthing from Nightwing and Damian, who was sitting in as the teams new Robin. 

So with the younger titans, Blue Beetle, Wonder Girl, Impulse, Artemis, Robin, Miss Martian, and with Beast Boy supervising, out finding the stolen property, the rest of the team had to deal with Mad Mod. That took at least a day (though stuck in the odd dimension Mad Mod had created, it was very hard to know how long they’d actually been at it) before Cyborg had finally managed to get his cane, and rewired the whole scene and plopped the old man right at the doors of the police. 

Not more then three hours later did the alarms blare again, and Clayface popped onto their viewer, terrorizing the downtown area. That fight had been particularly brutal, with the monster using human shields and the mess made with the final great explosion covering at least five square blocks, which the titans had to collect before he could reform and start it all over again. 

Garfields team hadn’t exactly had the easiest time either it turns out. They came back late that night, and after the debrief and various medical needs, the sun was rising. Only a few hours later everybody was awakened by Nightwing. He’d found some odd intel while going over the details of the younger titans mission, and had found some sort of underground ring that needed busting. That took a good two days to complete, with only the shortest of naps grabbed whenever any of the titans could manage. 

Four days with almost no sleep had taken its toll, and there were a few incidents between the group. Blue Beetles bug had taken control once, and only the quick reflexes of Impulse had stopped him from bringing down the old warehouse they were in. When Garfield was caught curled up asleep in the form of a very comfortable cat, Cyborg lost his patience. The angry squakes of a freezing and wet bird could be heard several blocks away, and Garfield showed back up to the tower later with a few bald patches on his head. No one is quite sure what happened to Damien, as the grouchy boy wouldn’t say, and Dick just rolled his eyes as they showed back up to the tower well after midnight.

Raven and Wonder Girl came in early that morning, a visible shadow hanging over the half demon. Cassie herself had a black eye and stayed several steps behind the oppressive mood that washed from Ravens shadowed form, and only tried to talk to the others when the darkness that was their second in command disappeared down the hall towards her own room.

“What the hell happened to you?” Aretmis’s voice seemed inappropriate in the quiet room, everybody else sitting in the living room/kitchen looked half dead with dark bags hanging from their eyes. 

“Henchmen got a lucky shot at the docks, I was on clean up while Raven took out all the crates, but apparently Nightwings info didn’t tell us that it was more than just the stolen bank property, but a weapons smuggling operation” Cassie’s voice went hard and she glared over at the team leader who was sitting with a cup of coffee over some intel.

“Missions never survive their initial planning, Wonder Girl. It's a good lesson in improvisation” He didn’t even look up from the papers he was reading, so he missed as she stuck her tongue out at him and stomped by to get to the fridge. 

The conversation seemed to have roused the rest of the team, who before had sat exhausted around the room. “Can we please hang up the ‘do not disturb’ sign!” Garfield dropped dramatically half over the end of the couch, morphing into a large leopard that folded nearly in half to emphasis his statement. “I haven’t had proper sleep in days and I can feel my mind slipping away from me!”

“You have a mind?” Blue Beetle retorted, earning a few giggles and a glare from the now back to human form Garfield who was pooled on the floor behind the couch. 

“Yes. It's a beautiful and mysterious mind that I’m sure none of you can get a true grasp on” This statement was met by eye rolls by the rest and Garfield huffed. 

Dick stood, the papers in one hand and coffee in another “Garfields right though, we all need sleep. This week has been busy and if what I’m seeing is right, there's something big coming on the horizon.” The others stood up with various sighs and grumbles, Dick paused next to Cyborg as he walked towards the watch room “Hey, could you go check on Raven? I’m sure she’s just tired, but that was some intense grumpiness, even from her” 

Cyborg laughed, shaking his head “Still afraid of her since your guys little tiff?” The large man, slapped their leader on the back, ony laughing harder as he tried to steady his over full coffee as it spilled on his blue bat emblem. 

“Not scared…” he started, before a smirk twisted his smile “But I’d really rather not repeat the nightmare she gave me…” 

“Man, you never told me what that was about. Wanna share?” 

“Hell no” Was Dick’s quick response, walking away from Cyborg, throwing up a middle finger that only made the other man crack up harder. “Tomorrow I’m going to need your security skills” He shouted behind him as he disappeared into the elevator

Walking to the left, Cyborg made his way to the women's side of the tower. Since getting the younger generation, they’d decided it would be better to keep them seperate, especially with the flubs that had happened in their own youths. The break up between Garfield and Raven had been harsh. even with the two trying their best not to fight or disrupt the team, there had been several incidents that probably wouldn’t have happened. Let alone the fights that Starfire and Nightwing had gone through. There was a reason most things in the tower were now fireproof. 

Stopping at the large sliding door, he rapped at it gently. It rang like a bell, loud in the quiet hallway making Cyborg flinch. The silence returned afterwards, but Cyborg new better then to open the door without his friends permission, so he waited patiently. A minute later, it slid open with a woosh, and Ravens hooded head poked out from the darkness behind it. 

Her skin was as pale as the day they’d first met her, and with her eyes perpetually shadowed, most others would have difficulty reading her. But Cyborg was her defacto brother. He’d known her since she was thirteen and a little waif of a girl, scared of her heritage and that no one would ever like her. 

Cyborg softened, leaning against her door frame, one of his hands picking at the top of her cloak just to make her smack at him. “Hey grumpy, how’d today go?” 

His baritone was soft and made Ravens emotions calm without her consent. She felt some of the tension she’d been holding onto slip away as one of her truest friends stood before her. Jerking her head towards her room, she walked to her bed, hand waving to light all the candles that sat in various places. Cyborg followed, looking around the foreboding room the others had nicknamed The Lair. 

Her bed was covered in dark sheets, and tall enough that she had to climb onto it one leg at a time, but it was so soft it was the one thing everybody understood about her room. Sleeping in it was like heaven, and Raven had justified buying it saying she’d lived most of her life living in alleyways and on the rocky ground of hell. Cyborg just had to sit, he really was that much bigger than her. 

“Cassie is….difficult” Raven started, sliding her hood back and looking up at her friend with big lavender eyes. Cyborg had always thought she hid her face because one look at it and everybody would know what a softy she truly was, her eyes gave it all away. “She still has a lot of self confidence that she hasn’t earned. It's going to get her in trouble” Raven continued “But that wasn’t what did this...When we went to take out Nightwings little nest I found..” Those lavender eyes darkened and harden “I know that it was just a coincidence, but apparently the criminal organization was working with The Brotherhood. I guess..I guess I just still find them disturbing. Brother Bloods obsession with me...their ties to my father. It just dredged up some stuff I didn’t want to think about” She smiled weakly up at him “That and the whole, it's been a week since I’ve had any sleep”

They sat in silence for a bit, both lost in their own thoughts. At some point Raven had leaned on Cyborgs shoulder, and he’d shifted to pull her against his side. Cyborg was known for being an affectionate guy, always hugging, slugging shoulders, or slinging his arm over others. But Raven? She barely touched anyone without reason. The original team was used to it, Kori utterly disregarded any objection Raven might have and hugged her and played with her hair. Garfield….well, since the breakup it was back to only cordial stuff, but during their relationship it’d been common for them to walk hip to hip. And Dick? Well, their psychic bond had her getting over her shyness faster than anyone else on the team. They’d often had late night talks sitting next to each other, or quiet moments leaning on each other for strength. 

The younger half of the team stayed away from her, knowing that most of their joking and revelry wouldn’t go well. Miss Martian had learned that the hard way one day, when she’d hugged the older woman from behind on a whim and had been thrown across the room, smashing one of the tv’s. Now everybody made sure not to startle her, and give her a wide berth. 

“We’ll look into it” Cyborg responded softly, breaking the comfortable silence they had sat in. 

“Oh, no, its nothing” Raven tried “It's not like they were doing more then normal. And I’m sure tonights actions have them thinking twice about coming back to this neck of the woods for a while” 

“Eh, you know Dick, he’ll want to know, no matter what” Cyborg shrugged, waving the other hand in the air vaguely “Man needs more control over a situation then a dictator after all” 

Raven snorted, swatting her best friend on the arm “If he hears you he’ll throw you in a secret military prison” 

“Nah, I run it. Guy would be lost without his top general.” He ruffled her hair, making her pull away from him and bat at his large hands “But, I will lock you up if you don’t show up for dinner tonight. Got it?” He gave her the side eye, a rather odd gesture from him, given the one blue robotic eye didn’t blink. 

“Fine fine...just for a little bit. Having to deal with those gossiping teens means I get extra dessert though” 

“Deal” Standing up he started for her door, stopping when it slid open and looking back over his shoulder “Get some sleep, I’ll see you in a few hours over a big old plate of pancakes”

Eye’s drooping, Raven nodded “You spoil me” The door slid closed with Cyborg’s booming laugh echoing down the hallway. 

Too tired for proper sleep ware, Raven unbuckled her cape and awkwardly shuffled it out from underneath her, leaving just her body suit. She pulled her hair out, the braid tucked into the back of her suit. It had grown to long for battle, and unlike Kori, whose beautiful locks flowed with her fire, Raven found her own tangled into one giant mess. 

It fell over her shoulder, and she was startled to realize it reached her stomach even braided. Officially too long, she’d have to do something about it later. With a jaw cracking yawn, she flopped back, almost sideways on her bed but not caring as she shoved the covers far enough down to crawl into them. She was out before she’d managed to pull the downy blanket all the way up.

*****

Several days had passed and Dick still hadn’t revealed this big event he kept saying was coming. Everybody on the team was getting a bit jittery, wondering if these few days of relative peace were a prelude to something really bad. Cyborg had indeed been pulled in several times for security checks, his ability with computers and electronics vital to almost everything the titans did. Kori had been asked to scout out into the bay, reporting back on ship travel and any odd occurrences on some of the small bits of land well secluded out in the water. 

Dick had often asked Raven if she felt anything amiss, asking her to stretch her empathy around the city. With how far he asked her to do this, it meant she had to spend a lot of time in quiet meditation. She chose to do this on the roof most of the time, the fresh air and distance from the team helping her block out the noise they created. It was during one of these sessions that she hit a block, and her pushing did little more than give her a headache. 

Dropping out of her trance with a groan, her legs stretched to hit the ground as she floated to stand on the roof. Her cape was taken by the salty breeze and wrapped around her calves. In so many years she’d changed her look very little, adding a long skirt to her outfit that slit high up to her hips. Her boots were a bit longer as well, reaching over her knees just barely. Otherwise she was still the Raven who’d come for help all those years ago. 

A presence made itself known to her as she became aware of her surroundings. Dick’s highly ordered mind, always full and active, it would be assaultive if she weren’t so used to it. 

Offering her a cup of tea, he walked to the edge of the tower, sitting down and propping one leg up while he sipped on his own coffee. “You’ll give yourself an ulcer with all that coffee” Dick just smirked, looking over the horizon at the setting sun. Raven pulled back her hood, shaking out her braided hair as she did. “I have found something odd, but to know more I’ll have to gather some ingredients, whoever they are they’ve shielded their thoughts. Its strong enough to keep me out, so it must be some form of magic” Her voice was a bit hoarse from lack of use, and she sipped her tea to try and sooth her throat. 

“Will you need any help? Jinx is still sorta on our side, I could ask Wally to get her a list of items” He smiled at her as she settled next to him, stretching the cramps out of her legs. Dick averted his eyes as he kept his mind strictly off of one of his best friends shapely legs. He and Kori were on another one of their breaks, something that seemed to be happening more and more often. But it still didn’t give him the right to ogle another woman. 

If she noticed her leaders less than honorable thoughts, Raven didn’t show it. She just shook her head placing her cup to the side “No, I should have what I need in the tower. But remember, this might have nothing to do with your case, it's just a shielded mind” She cautioned him. 

“With how little I’ve got, I’ll chase down anything.” Lips pursing, his mind was a riot of thoughts again. Raven raised an eyebrow, turning to look at Dick straight on. “I know the team thinks I’m just being Batman like with my lack of information, but the truth is, I just don’t have much” His voice was distressed and frustrated, and the lines on his face revealed the lack of sleep he’d been doing a good job of hiding from everybody. “Something is coming. There is an uptick in chatter, several of the smaller villains have cleared out completely, and crime in the city is down across the board. But I can’t pin down what it is”

Raven put a hand on his shoulder, feeling how tense he was. His hard muscle trembled a bit under her touch, and he looked down, the back court of the tower and training area in view. “Dick, you can’t know everything” She tried to push some calming thoughts through their link, but was surprised at the resistance she met. “Why?” 

Dick interrupted her “I don’t deserve the calm you’ll give me. I need to figure this out, before it turns into something catastrophic” He tried to shrug her hand off but she tightened her grip, pushing as she tried to force him to look at her. 

“Dick” Her voice was sharp, its gravely tone almost growling at him. “You are not a god. You are not responsible for the world.” She softened, cupping his cheek, their eyes finally meeting “We’re going to figure it out, and all of us are going to fix it.” His bright blue eyes were enchanting, and Raven loved the few times she’d truly been able to look at them like this “You made us a team, and we’ve literally been to hell and back together. One little unknown isn’t going to stop us now”

For a beat, it was just them. Dick broke the moment as he looked back over the city, his own hand pulling hers down. “Thanks” He spoke quietly and Raven could feel the genuine relief as her words sunk in. 

“Good. Now” Standing, she reached up to stretch her back, a few pops running down her spine “I need to prepare. If you need me I’ll be in my room” Sliding her hood back in place, she made her way to the stairs, turning back as she pulled the trap door open. “And get some sleep. I can see the bags under your eyes from a mile away”

Nightwing snorted, waving her off as she disappeared into the tower. Soon. He’d sleep soon, he thought as he went back to the info on the screen.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I know this took forever, but I made several really bad mistakes. First off, I posted the first chapter without anything else ready (a mistake I'm making again, by the by) second, I started several rp's up at the same time as I started this story....way to stretch myself thin, right? And third? I started up school again. Yeah...dumb idea's all around. But! I am and will continue to write this story, and try damn hard to do it quicker this time around. 
> 
> Also, holy crap...you guys are way to nice! I'm amazed anybody read it at all, let alone liked it! Thank you all, and I hope I don't disappoint in later chapters. Anywho, on with the show

Chapter 2

There had been several T car’s throughout the years. And a T-cycle, sub, ship, spaceship and even a short lived T-copter. But this, this would be Cyborgs greatest achievement to date. The basement of the tower had been Cyborgs haven since they’d begun, and to this day it was still his domain. His music was drowned out by the sounds of heavy machinery. The whir of drivers and banging of metal were the soundtrack to his life after all.

Rolling from under the bulk of his brand new Cy-car, Cyborg’s dirty face split into a huge grin. Baby blue, he’d not only built every electrical and mechanical piece, he’d also fabricated each and every last panel. Designed in the style of an old muscle car, the deep black leather seats and chrome finish were shined to perfection. The motor was a growling V12 with electric boosters for immediate acceleration and smooth shifts. Starfire had asked Cyborg why he’d given it a manual transmission when he could have made it not just automatic but straight up sentient. He’d tried to explain that it gave an extra dimension to the car, giving it more life and letting Cyborg truly feel the road, when Raven had interrupted and said it was just so he could feel like he was a race car driver. 

Wiping off his tools, Cyborg was looking over his beautiful new car when Raven stepped out of the elevator. Dressed in civilian clothing, she had a backpack slung over one shoulder. “You know” Cyborg started “You can wear colors other than black and blue when you aren’t being Raven” He chuckled as she smacked his shoulder, coming to lean against his work bench next to him. 

“And you don’t have to style everything in blue, but here we are, next to your latest blue car” She retorted. “Is she ready for a test drive? I need to go out and get a few things, it’d be great to do it in style.” 

“Oh yeah” Cyborg responded, grinning over at his small friend. “Just give me a second to clean up” He walked away, grabbing a large towel as he went, putting a few tools back along the way. Raven stepped up to the new car, the cloth top was currently down, so she just plopped her backpack into the passenger seat. Pulling out a notepad, she flicked a few pages open and started checking her list. 

Most of it would be at a single place, a small pagan store that Raven was fairly well known at. It was run by a cute lesbian couple who wore way too many crystals at once and smelled perpetually of petchuli. But that was a hazard when it came to modern magic. The last ingrediant she would need was actually in another dimension, but she’d already scheduled that trip with Starfire, who she’d need to keep some of the more insistent predators of that realm away. And Starfire had requested a girls day anyway, apparently she wanted to have girl talk. 

Cyborg returned wearing the holographic ring he sometimes used when they went out, still rubbing water off his face with a towel that could only be called clean by a mechanic. The drivers side door opened without so much as a squeek, and he sat down on the plush seats with a satisfied grin. “Oh, she’s so perfect. I think I’ve outdone myself, Raven.” 

The engine roared to life, fading into a low growl as he let the system warm up. Lights spread around the consol, simple yet beautiful in their placement and design. The gears slid together perfectly, and the growling engine echoed down the underground tunnel until they burst out the other side into the city proper. It was a beautiful summer day, and Jump City was alive with people. With the roof down, Raven pulled her hoodie down, and let her hair whip out behind her with the wind. Cyborg’s holoring made him look like a 29 year old man, bald and fit, and Garfield had loved to make fun of him for looking like Terry Crews. 

It was a thirty minute drive to the outskirts of town, the store Raven needed to go to was an old bookstore, and maybe that's why she went to this magic store almost exclusively. Cyborg parked nearby, putting up the roof and putting on a steering wheel lock, activating the security system and taking one of his fingers off to place on the dashboard. “A bit paranoid over there, Vic?” Raven drawled, lips quirked up just slightly. 

“Nothings happening to my baby” He replied, patting the hood as he went to pay the meter. Raven made her way to the shop, the door opening to a wave of incense smoke and chime music. Cyborg was quick to catch up, and had to duck and move sideways through the small door, grumbling about old architecture being made for shrimp people. 

“Raavven!” The woman that greeted them came running around the counter, her purple hair faded and pulled into a tired looking bun. A trail of glitter seemed to billow behind her, and she wrapped Raven in a tight hug, pressing the smaller woman into her more voluptuous body. “Oh, my dear, it's been too long!” Raven cringed as she pushed back from the embrace, flicking at the glitter that had transferred to her own face. It took forever to get off and she always left this place covered in it. “Oohh, and you brought my favorite friend” Valencia turned, noticing Cyborg shoved into the corner of the store. “Victor, my beautiful man. You need to be here more often! Even my wife agrees we need more pretty men in here.” She turned to Raven, tutting as she wrapped an arm around the smaller woman and started to walk her towards the back “You’ll help us wrangle him, right love?” She asked towards Raven, giving Cyborg a wink as they started towards the back of the store. 

“Now! What are you looking for today?” Raven looked back as they went through another door, face clearly asking Cyborg for help. But the man was shaking his head, running towards the far end of the store from the glittery overly affectionate owner. “I’ve got a few of your normal needs in stock especially for you!” The back room of this little store was different. The baskets of gems were gone, the herbs pre-rolled for smudging and toxic clarification didn’t hang from the ceiling. Instead, it was a bit darker, black velvet laid over most of the items and all herbs were sealed in airtight containers.

Pulling out her list, Raven handed it over to Valencia, taking a step away towards the wall of herbs. “Nothing too exotic. Though if you don’t have belladonna planted under a full moon I’ve got a lead on another place that might” Raven’s tone was almost teasing, and her words hit perfectly.

“Don’t have Belladonna planted under the full moon? Well, I should be offended!” She flicked her eyes over the list, already placing containers in the center of the room on an old wooden table. “Not only do I have belladonna, but I’ve also got roses raised by sacred virgins, malachite stones harvested under a new moon, and! The buds of an orchid snipped right as the sun of the summer solstice reached its zenith!” With a flourish she ripped the velvet off of a small bowl of stones, looking through it delicately before picking one up with the velvet as a glove and placing it once more on the table. 

“My sincerest apologies, of course you have what I need” The smaller woman answered with a sardonic twist to her lips. Valencia let out an almost cackling laugh, watching as Raven grabbed a few more items to add to the pile.

“Oh darling, you really do have to come here more often. I miss your dark wit” She gave a quick once over of the list, wrapping a piece of velvet around several of the objects before putting it in a little bag with a drawstring. “Now, with what I’m seeing here…” Flipping open the jars, she parsed out the herbs inside, each going into their own little paper pockets and the tongs she used to get them out washed after touching each “Someone is looking really closely at something. Close enough to need some serious protection…” She looked back over at Raven, one pierced eyebrow raising “I don’t sell what you need. I assume you’re being safe about this? You know what they say, Don’t be insane, protect your brain” 

“Of course I am. I’ve got a little field trip planned. Do you need anything from the inbetween, by the way?” Raven replied, mentally checking off each item that went into the bag. 

“Oh no no no no, Crystal would kill me!” The pierced woman answered, grabbing the last little baggie and sealing it “Much to much bad juju around anything from there….” She stopped, looking over a Raven “You sure you want something so...powerful...for this?” The pause in her sentence was meant to be delicate, but in reality getting something from that realm was down right asking for trouble.

Raven just gave Valencia a look “I’ve already got much worse” Which wasn’t a lie. Valencia shrugged and nodded, handing the entire package over as they went back through the door into the official side of the store.

“I’ll trust you dear, but please, I can’t lose my best customer” Cyborg was in the corner, playing with a little statue of two women that could be put into some indecent positions. “And if that boy over here never comes back I’ll just never know proper love again” Stepping behind the register, they finished the transaction, and as Raven was taking her change back Valencia took her hand and clasped it between her own “Seriously, I’ll be sending blessings. Be careful with whatever it is you’re doing”

A small smile came over Ravens lips and she bowed her head in thanks. It was nice of her to worry, even if she didn’t realize the full scope of Ravens abilities. It was part of the reason Raven still came to this shop, a lot of others would want to know what she was doing with some of the more intense ingredients she bought, rather then just wishing her luck. 

Grabbing her stuff and Cyborg, Raven made her way back to the car, waiting patiently as Cyborg buffed a few non existent pieces of dirt away and disabled all the security he’d put on her. The rest of the day was open until Kori got home from Germany around six, so the consensus was a nice long ride on the winding roads outside the city. It was a great way to spend the day with one of her best friends.

****

Dick had a migraine. He’d had it for days but it had finally reached a point where he couldn’t ignore it anymore. Sitting in his dark room he messaged at his temple, rereading the report on his desk for the hundredth time. The information just wouldn’t stay in his mind, and he was beginning to actually worry about his own health. 

With a grunt of frustration, he stood up, pacing over to his bathroom and rummaging through some drawers till he came out with a bottle of advil. Downing two without water, he leaned over the sink, running one hand through his hair as he tried to clear his mind. 

He’d figured out so far that whatever was going down was being organized by a few big players, and it was something that had the smaller fry scared. So the few he’d tried to shake down for information hadn’t budged. It was a sad truth that criminals biggest fear wasn’t of the hero’s that took them down. No, that honor went to other criminals. And with only a few exceptions, no one would be willing to talk. 

Grunting, he looked at himself in the mirror “This is going to be fun” One of those exceptions just so happened to be his adoptive brother, general terror and family black sheep. Pulling out his phone he turned to lean against the sink, not expecting the call to be picked up. He was correct, and after it rang through, nothing but silence met him on the other end. Just like him to be so dramatic.

“Jason” Dick started, “Somethings up over here, and nobody can tell me anything. I need to call in the Moscow favor. Meet me at 1 in the city. You know the location.” He paused, wondering if his next words would backfire on him “And don’t shoot me this time, please” Please sometimes worked, but with Jason who knew when he’d find it funnier to do the opposite. 

Rubbing his forehead, the headache hadn’t gone down, not even a little. Popping two more he walked out into his room to gear up. He texted a quick message to Cyborg in case he didn’t show back up. The almost instant reply read 

Family X0

And Dick let out a laugh that had him clutching his head in pain. Cyborg spoke very rarely about his problems with his father, and for at least the first year of their friendship Dick had to keep any knowledge he did know to himself because Cyborg refused to even acknowledge it. So one night, when they’d snuck in a few bottles after a hard night and waited for the others to go to sleep (He was a dumb teenager, but also he and Vic were the oldest, so they felt it wasn’t such a big deal for them as long as they kept the ‘youngins’ away from it) and had gotten smashed. This was an interesting experience for Vic, who hadn’t had much experience with liquor before the accident, and after his biology made it extremely hard for him to even get enough alcohol to get drunk. 

As for Dick, he’d managed to sneak this sort of activity in once or twice, but when you’re the adopted son of Batman, it isn’t exactly easy. So once Cyborg managed to get enough down it wasn’t long before the two were sitting in the main room falling all over each other and sharing their mutual woe’s. And eventually the whole story of Cyborgs origin and family struggles came out. Since then, he mentioned it once in a while, but being the up beat guy he was it rarely made an appearance. So his little quip in defense of Dick’s rather convoluted family life was perfect. 

Appreciation for his friends sometimes twisted sense of humor dulled by his throbbing head, Dick packed a duffle with a few essentials for this meeting. 1 am was hours away, but there were several stops he could make first so he didn’t give himself time to sit back down. His mask actually helped a little with the headache, as he could switch the filter to block out any harsh light. The sun was still out, beginning to paint the sky violent reds as it neared sunset. Dick saw it all as dimmed and near black and white. Taking off from the basement on his bike, he ignored the vaguely sick feeling the passing scenery gave him and focused on the first stop he had to get too.

****

The trip with Kori had gone easily enough. A few creatures had tried to get in their way, but Kori had missed a few workouts and was happy to make up for it with some heavy lifting. That had left Raven free to concentrate on what she needed to, and in record time the two girls had made their way through the unwelcoming dimension and found what they needed. 

“Is that it?” Kori asked, throwing a bit of monster away that had held on a little too strongly and hadn’t gone with the rest of the monster down the cliff. 

Raven didn’t respond, just brushed off some dirt from the oddly shaped rock. Built up like little off set skyscrapers, it shown with a dim light in the purple haze this dimension kept at all times. Taking out a small velvet bag, she dropped it in and pulled the strings tight. “You ready to leave?” She asked blandly 

Kori sighed and nodded “Yes, but I was hoping for a bit more time to talk with you...perhaps we can when we get back?” The orange alien had a melancholy around her that wasn’t natural, and Raven began to worry.

“What's wrong?” She asked, walking over and using her power to flick a bit of goo from her friends shoulder.

Kori floundered for a bit, biting her lip and floating in her own version of embarrassed jittering. She only came down when Raven got up close, putting a hand on her hip and guiding her back to the earth. “I think I need to leave…”

“Leave?” Raven responded, brow furrowing “What do you mean?”

“I just... At this point in my life, most of my kind have traveled the galaxy. Met many of other species, fought for honor on battlefields” Raven took Kori’s hand, and the alien smiled and wrapped both of hers around the smaller womans “I feel this travel lust. I have done amazing things, met amazing people on Earth. But perhaps it is not just tradition that drives my kind onwards, perhaps it is more” 

Raven was silent for a moment, looking into the burning fires of her friends eyes. “We’ll miss you, of course, but if this is what you need we’ll all support you.” A small smile stretched her lips “Though do realize you’re leaving me all alone with the boys, I won't be held responsible for what happens the next time I get sucked into one of their pranks” 

The fire haired woman laughed, pulling Raven up and into an aerial hug. “Oh, I will miss you!” 

“Can’t...breath” Raven managed to get out, taking a gasping breath when Kori finally let her go.

“Oh, friend Raven, thank you. I was so worried about how you would react to such news. Oh, but I’m not leaving immediately! I need to plan and make arrangements of course. I just” She smiled, both women floating down to land before starting back to where Raven had opened the portal to this dimension. “I just wanted to hear your assurances I guess. You will be the least emotional to talk to about this” 

Raven snorted, shaking her head “Oh, I’m sure Garfield will cry and rave about it” She paused, looking over “What about Dick though?”

Silence sat between them for a moment and they reached the slightly burnt area where they’d entered this dimension before Kori spoke again “I am...uncertain how to proceed with him. I think perhaps we began this relationship much too young. He is a very attractive human, I’ve seen the ways other women look to him.”

“You don’t think that he’s ever cheated on you, do you? Because dog that he is, he isn’t that type” Raven interrupted.

“Oh no no, he would never do that. But I do wonder if he ever thinks the same as me, that perhaps we both need time to, how do humans put it? Sow our oats?” She watched as Raven drew the circle again, taking her cue and lighting it on fire. 

The portal opened, burning away reality and exposing the bright light of sundown on the other side “Ugh, don’t put it like that.” Raven gestured for Kori to go first, pulling reality closed as she stepped through herself. “I’m all for either of your exploring your options, but I don’t need to think of our illustrious leader and his fans like that” It was well known that even when he was Robin, plenty of girls, both super and not would have happily taken whatever they could get from the dark haired man. And it was probably better for his overall health that he’d had his crush on Starfire to keep him from those other options during his formative years. 

They came out in the hills outside the city, both standing and watching the light as it played over the buildings, leaving long shadows behind them. The tower stood in the bay, silent and strong as always. The bay lit up like fire as the sun touched the edge of the sky, and Raven and Starfire stood shoulder to shoulder just watching the natural beauty for a while. 

“After the trouble with my father was passed, I thought for a long time about leaving” Raven broke the silence, not looking over to her friend as she admitted this “I thought, why be a hero anymore? I’d started to try and help, even if it was all for naught come my 18th birthday. And now that the impossible has happened, and the world is safe from my heritage, then maybe I could go and live a normal life? I still wonder it sometimes” She paused and did finally look over at Kori, the other woman was watching her intently “And I know any one of you will support me no matter what I choose.”

Kori sighed “Thank you Raven. Now, shall we go back to the tower? I believe you said you needed a few hours to set up this ritual?” Her feet left the ground, and Ravens soon followed. 

“Yes” She sighed wearily “It’ll be a sleepless night for me, and who knows if I’ll even have anything to show for it in the morning” They started for the tower, opposite streaks of color as they passed over the city. “You’ll help keep the kids from bothering me, right? I’ll be doing it in my room, but I caught Damian trying to pick my lock last week, so that's far from a deterrent” 

“That boy, he very much is a child of Batman.” Kori giggled, “But yes, of course. I’ll keep them clear. We’ll have a movie night!” She exclaimed happily. “Oh, I’ll have to think of several choices! And maybe find a fun way to see who might decide?!” Raven tuned out her overly happy friend, letting her plan her movie night which apparently was going to include a gladiator style fight to see who got to pick the entertainment. 

****

Midnight was when the ceremony was set to begin, and Raven was putting the last touches on her protective circle when the clock ticked over to 11:55. The night had been blessedly quiet, no alarms had gone off and Kori had managed to keep all their students busy with her tournament. Cyborg had lit up one of her video streams with a score board, after each fight it had updated with the next match up and a ‘score’ that seemed to have little to do with anything. 

Everything had settled down now, and with a quick psychic sweep she checked to make sure all was well. Most everybody was asleep, though she could feel Damian and Jaime in the lounge, but neither seemed agitated and she assumed they were just being the night owls they tended to be. 

So, with a sweep of her arm she pushed her cape out and stepped over the mixture of salt and herbs that made up the edges of her circle. Sitting inside, she folded her legs into the lotus position and cleared her mind. It felt a bit crazy to do this much for a lead that would probably go nowhere, but Nightwing had asked. And brat that he was, Raven had never been good at saying no to him. 

The clock chimed twelve, and she began to chant. Low and melodious, it began as a simple locator spell, before she began to weave in a reading one as well. Shortly, the floor began to shine, and whispers of magic flittered up towards the ceiling. A wind kicked up, and her cloak began to billow as she lifted from the floor. Soon, her query had been found, and her mind reached out, probing against the wall she’d found before. It was just as strong as the day before, and she began the process of stripping back each layer of protection. This would take the majority of her time and skill, so she settled in.

****

Nightwing stood on the roof, leaning against a chimney as he waited. It wasn’t quite one yet, but he’d finished everything else he had to do, and it never was a bad idea to pre-scout an area when meeting someone as unstable as his brother. He’d found nothing out of the ordinary, but that didn’t mean nothing was here. His headache was still ever present, and the amount of caffeine and pain meds he’d taken trying to get rid of it was probably boarding on deadly. 

“So” A voice whispered in his ear, making him jump and grab the chimney to keep from falling off the building. The red featureless mask couldn’t quite hide the smile on the younger man's face. “Somethings up and you can’t strong arm your way to people talking. Must be good.”

Nightwing glared at Red Hood, turning arms crossed to face his brother. They faced off and Nightwing had to wonder just how their lives became like this. He’d mourned for Jason, the death of the younger Robin had been a changing factor in his life. Making him much more protective of those around him, changing how he led teams and mentored the younger hero’s. And then he’d come back, but come back changed. Always violital, he was now dangerous, unpredictable, and constantly at odds with those around him. 

Nightwing sighed and rubbed at his temple “Can we just skip the posturing this time?” He pulled out the flash drive with the info he’d gathered, offering it to the other man. “Something about this isn’t adding up, I know a large player has something planned, enough to have spooked most of the gang bangers and non-meta rings out of town. And those who haven’t left seem to have been incentivized to keep quiet. That's a lot of trouble just to keep us in the dark.”

Taking the drive, Red Hood stepped over to a little laptop hidden by the chimney. Pulling up the info, he scrolled through it quickly. Silence sat between them for a minute, before Red looked up and tossed the drive back “So, what's up with you? Not on top of your game if you ask me” Putting the laptop back in his bag, he swung it over his shoulder as he sauntered back over to Dick. “One look and I already know who to shake down for this info, why do you need to pull in such a big favor for something so easy?” 

Nightwing didn’t answer, when Jason got this way there wasn’t really a need to answer after all. “How long will it take you?” He asked instead, curtailing any ridiculous fight. “Obviously this needs to be done quickly and quietly, I assume you can handle that?”

Red crossed his arms, “You’re no fun, Greyson. But fine, yeah, I can do it. Give me twelve hours, I’ll have everything by then.” He started towards the fire escape, turning back as he grabbed the metal rung “Getting the Moscow favor out of the way this easily? I’m definitely…” 

Cutting himself off, he just managed to see Nightwing stumble back, head in hand and fall off the side of the building. 

****

An hour had passed, and Raven was beginning to tire. Whoever this was, they’d gone far beyond the normal to protect their mind, and every layer of spell she pulled back only revealed more security. The only reason she was still able to do this was her habit of over preparing. 

She was nearing the end, and flashes of the person's emotions were beginning to come to her. Fear, pain, anticipation, the mix of emotions was worrying, and Raven worked harder to try and break through the protections. 

With a final push, she broke through the last barrier and was inundated with pain. Screaming, she was jolted out of her protection circle, the floor on fire and spreading fast. The fire alarms blared on, Raven unaware as she grasped her head in pain. Flame lapped at her, her cloak smoldering as it tried to fully catch on fire. 

Someone was banging on the door yelling for Raven, but the woman was deaf to the sound, trapped in the world of pain that had caught her. The door buckled, the banging on the other side getting louder and more pointed until finally it gave way. The first through was Damian, a breathing mask already on and fire extinguishing ball bearings in hand. Throwing them in a semi circle around his protege, he made his way further in as Cyborg, having taken down the door, came barreling in behind him. 

“Raven”! Cyborg shouted, covering his mouth and nose with an elbow as the smoke billowed out of the room and into the corridor “Activate filtration system!” Slats on the ceiling opened and began cycling out the air as Cyborg pushed through and picked his friend up. Raven didn’t react, only letting out another yell and curling up into a ball against his chest. Jogging out of the room, he pushed past the tired and confused students on the other side of the door, shouting at them to put out the fires. Damian had already gotten most of it, but Artemis was close behind firing off arrows with the same foam. 

M’gann broke off from the group and followed Cyborg as he made for the med bay. She’d learned that Raven didn’t like mind links, and only tolerated them on missions because she had too. But the telepath could feel something hanging on Ravens mind, a foreign presence that was trapping her within a mindscape of pain and torture. 

In the med bay, Cyborg ripped off the still on burning cape, laying Raven on one of the cots. She immediately curled back into herself, making it hard as Cyborg tried to find any other places where she might be burned, only finding a few singed spots on her clothing. M’gann hovered behind him, literally, about a few feet off the ground so she could see Raven over his shoulder, and he only noticed when he turned to start up a machine. 

“What M’gann!?” He shouted, pushing past her and starting up several screens that began beeping worryingly the second they booted up. Raven’s heart beat was dangerously high, adrenaline and cortisol levels too high to be sustainable. 

“Somethings attacking her mind, I think I can help her” The green girl responded, reaching for Raven only to have Cyborg grab her hand.

“No, not yet” He said, dropping her hand and grabbing some wires from a machine in the corner. Flipping several switches, he pulled it over and started attaching the wires to spots on her head, having to pry her hands away at some points to get them where they needed to be. “We’ve had mental attacks before, we started preparing for them a long time ago.” He explained, turning to the read outs and trying to calculate what he needed. “If you go in you’ll get caught up in what's happening and possibly just get hurt, we need to try this first”

A hum started up as he hit buttons, running around the bay with a practiced movement, grabbing several syringes and bottles as he went. M’gann watched from the door, getting out of the way of the large man as it seemed he was now intent on his mission. Working on the unaware woman, Cyborg kept an eye on the screens and watched as each step he took dropped her heart rate just a little. 

A crowd started to form at the door, the fire alarm had been silenced and Cyborg assumed with the appearance of Starfire that everything had been put out. “What can we do to help?” The tall alien asked, putting a hand on Ravens arm as she watched the woman jerk violently and cry out. 

“Turning on the dampener, can you power up the shield?” He asked, feeling at Ravens arm before injecting her with a blue liquid. The empath lurched as he did and went quiet, though her face was still twisted in pain. 

“Of course” She made her way to the wall, putting in a password and listening as the computer gave her options. She decided to turn on a couple different shields, including their experimental psychic one. “M’gann, you’ll be able to tell if its working, try to sense someone outside of the tower” She ordered as she stepped away from the panel

“Yes Ma’am.” Closing her eyes, she stretched her mind, coming into contact with a wall, though there was plenty of holes in it to slip through. “Its...well, its incomplete, but it might at least make things harder for an outside force to keep a hold on someone” She stated, opening her eyes and looking over to Raven again. “But if this person is strong enough to take over an empath of Raven’s caliber I’m not sure it’ll do much”

“Better than nothin’” Cyborg mumbled, watching the screens as they waited for a reaction. Slowly, the stress hormones in her body started to go down, through her heart rate stayed high. Her face twitched and twisted, but Starfire was able to carefully uncurl and lay her fully on the table. “Miss Martian, can you still sense the thing on her?” 

Reaching out, M’gaan carefully probed at Raven's mind, feeling for the presence she’d felt before “Yes...but, its losing its hold. If I just…” Her eyes glowed red, and a silence descended on the room. Thick tension kept even the more joking teammates from adding their two cents, and after a long few minutes M’gann dropped her hand and sighed “There… Its released her” 

Beeps of machines were the only noise in the quiet room, a collective sigh of relief released as Ravens face smoothed out. Starfire’s hand ran through Raven’s tangled hair, while Cyborg watched pensive as all her stats settled back to where they should be. A minute ticked by, then another, when finally Garfield broke the silence. “Shouldn’t she be waking up?” He’d made it through the crowd as a mouse, now transforming back into a human as he wandered up to the bed where his ex laid passively. 

All eyes went to M’gaan, who shook her head, nervously answering “Nothing should be keeping her asleep, at least, as far as I can tell.” The tension began to creep back up, and it was only when Cyborg gave Starfire a pointed look that anybody broke the silence.

“Ok, well, the danger is past, we should all go back to our rooms and let Raven rest” The tall alien turned and started to hurry the younger students out, gesturing for M’gaan to as well. “We will have a briefing in the morning about your reactions tonight and what could have been done better” Her voice faded out as she walked down the hallway, ignoring any resistance to leaving. Though she did have to pick Damien up by the cape when he tried to run by her. 

Cyborg closed the door to the infirmary, moving back and checking Raven’s pupil response as he looked through the readouts for why she might still be unconscious. Nothing gave an obvious answer, and he looked up into Garfield's worried eyes. “Why isn’t she floating?” The green man asked, putting a hand on her wrist, automatically feeling for her pulse. “She always floats when she’s healing herself”

“No idea” Was his curt response, busying himself around the room putting things away and tidying up. “Maybe we just need to give her a bit, she said that whatever she was doing for Dick would be hard, maybe she just fell asleep?” Even to him the explanation sounded thin. Sighing heavily, Cyborg leaned against the wall, hitting a panel that popped a thick cord through the opening. Plugging it into his arm, he sat in a nearby chair while a blue glow began to pulse through his circuits. “I’ll sit up with her, I can get about a 50% charge from this port. Better then the no sleep you’d get” 

Beast Boy’s face twisted a bit, but he nodded and gave Raven’s pale arm a quick caress before he let go. “Don’t know how much I’ll sleep anyway” He half heartedly fought, even as he was walking towards the door. “Anything changes”

“I’ll tell you” Cyborg replied before Garfield could finish. “I know the drill” His voice held a deep sadness that they both shared. The life of a superhero was full of danger, and the weight of waiting up for an injured comrade was all too common for them. 

****

“Fuck!” Jason sprinted across the rooftop, leaping off without a pause. There was very little time for him to think, as the building wasn’t as tall as the gothic and often intimidating buildings of gotham. Training kicked in and with a single fluid movement he’d fired off his grappling hooks, one wrapping around his unconcious brother, the other around a fire escape. The jerk as the fire escape rope went tight had him grunting in effort, swinging them both down a few floors as he tried to not break Nightwings back, or his own arms in the process. 

Their landing wasn’t graceful, and he rolled into the hard brick wall with another shouted curse. Dick hadn’t fared much better, and his limp body splayed in an unnatural position, twisted with blood leaking from his split lip where he’d impacted the wall as well. Jason groaned and rolled his shoulder as he turned Dick over, stretching him out as much as possible in the small area. Jason grumbled about acrobats and being too limber, finding that what looked like broken limbs were just his abnormal flexibility. 

Nothing felt broken, and his breathing was labored but steady. His face was twisted in pain, eyes moving rapidly under his lids. “What the hell..” He tipped the man's head back, lifting one eyelid. Though his heart was racing, body reacting as if it were under attack in some way, nothing obvious jumped out at the younger man. 

A window slid open a few floors above them, and Jason pressed back against the cool brick. Last thing he needed was police right now. After a moment the window swished closed and he looked down at Dick’s twitching body. “Couldn’t just let me have an easy out, could you?” Pulling out his phone, he settled back as he shot off a text. 

Hey, A. Need a ride. This simple jaunt has gotten way to complicated. Room for two 

With a deep sigh, he looked over at the twitching man. Whatever was going on was starting to subside, Nightwing’s movements slowed and looking more like someone who was just asleep, rather then injured or under attack in some way. At least, with a ride on the way he only had to think about how to get him down to the ground. “Pain in my ass” He muttered, arranging his items out of the way as he tried to get ready for the awkward decent.


End file.
